Albany Chamber’s Business Expo promotes local business connections

ALBANY — Booths covered in creative product displays, business cards and free food samples greeted young professionals and members of the Albany area public alike as they wandered through the Albany Civic Center looking for connection and networking opportunities.

The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual “Biz Expo” Thursday, giving Albany area businesses a chance to showcase their services and connect with other local businesses.

As the expo kicked off at 4:30 p.m., the Albany State University band greeted the first public attendees with a performance as they marched among display booths playing their instruments. Onlookers recorded and danced. The tone for the next two hours of opportunity were set. Attendees paid $5 at the door or could enter for free if they provided a business card.

The successful hub for business interaction often sees more than 500 people in attendance, giving businesses a chance to get their name out there and look for workers and partnership opportunities.

The Albany Chamber has hosted the expo for more than 15 years. It outgrew its original location at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn, expanding to fill the Civic Center, Bárbara Rivera Holmes, the chamber’s president and CEO, said.

“It’s just a great way for our businesses to promote themselves, network with each other, show off their wares and overall heighten business awareness,” Holmes said.

It’s important for Albanians to know what services are available locally, the chamber president added. Albany averages about $60 out of $100 spent on stays in the community, Holmes said. People want to shop locally as much as possible, which creates a lot of interest in the expo.

“When you shop locally, more money stays in your community,” she said.

The chamber’s focus is to provide service and value to the business community, and this event is a great way to do that, Holmes said.

“We love our business community,” she said. “We love watching our businesses connect their employees and support and inspire each other.”

Representatives from businesses and organizations like the YMCA, the Feeding the Valley Food Bank and local news organizations set up booths to get the word about their services into the community.

Feeding the Valley is relatively new to the community, starting up in 2019. Its services are crucial, Carleen Frokjer, who is in charge of the food bank’s fund development and community outreach, said.

This event is beneficial especially for newer organizations to get their name heard, she said.

Jackie Entz, education director for the Artesian Alliance, said Thursday’s expo was the organization’s second year in a row attending since the event shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic. She greeted visitors at her booth holding a tiny alligator in both hands.

The Artesian Alliance is a partnership among Chehaw Park & Zoo, the Flint RiverQuarium and Thronateeska Heritage Center. Entz said she saw the business expo as a chance to connect with other organizations locally and find ways they can work together to provide for the city.

“All of us here are striving to make it a better place,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for everyone.”

Tanner Snipes, operations analyst for the Webstaurant Store, said the event was a great way to get his online-oriented business in-person out into the community. The company is an e-commerce restaurant equipment site. It provides jobs for more than 500 people in the Albany community, he said.

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan